Live Audio-Visual Installation ‘The Echoes of Memoryscape’

Fustic. Studio, along with the vocal artist Trung Bao, was selected to receive the British Council UK/Viet Nam Season 2023 grant, an initiative celebrating creativity and connection between the UK and Viet Nam. This program showcases innovative partnerships and collaborations across the arts and creative industries, focusing on Climate and the Environment, and Shared Heritage.

‘The Echoes of Memoryscape’ is an interactive audio-visual performance and installation exploring contemporary Vietnamese identity post-Doi Moi. The project addresses the complexities of rapid globalization and the intergenerational shifts in media consumption by creating a collaborative dialogue between the Kinh majority and the H’mong ethnic minority. This initiative utilizes new media art to move beyond surface-level impressions, focusing on the preservation of heritage through a human-centred digital lens.

Our journey of cultural exploration involved a team of on-site observers who travelled to Ha Giang to gather primary environmental and cultural data. This immersion led us to a technical process where we isolated syllables from natural soundscapes, such as the rhythmic patterns of cicadas, to identify the fundamental building blocks of the region's auditory environment. While observing Hmong artisans, we noted that cultural essence often resides in the peripheral sounds frequently disregarded. These include the gentle footfalls during a dance, the rustling of garments, or the subtle inhales taken during circular breathing while an artisan plays the flute. To capture these nuances, we employed optical flow techniques to extract data from delicate physical movements captured in our recordings. These data points feed into a live audio-processing and modulation system, transforming minute gestures into immersive atmospheric shifts.

Fustic. developed the installation as a bespoke generative system that processes this gathered data in real time. Central to our visual direction is a particle system composed of one million points used to reconstruct spatial photogrammetry from various locations across Vietnam. We utilized this treatment to convey a hazy, indistinct image as a memory reflecting the lived experiences we encountered during our travels. By converting sound characteristics into numerical data, we created a continuous feedback loop that modulates both the audio and the reactive particle visuals, ensuring the digital output remains tethered to its physical origins.

The work functions as a multisensory archive where each portrait and sound serves as a storytelling medium. By blending contemporary procedural art with traditional music and field recordings, we invite the audience to experience the evolution of identity firsthand. Our project establishes a framework for ethical cultural preservation, leveraging creative technology to foster empathy and provide a platform for perspectives that are often overlooked in the global cultural narrative.